Curriculum

SchoolYoga Institute honors Yoga Alliance’s high standards for teacher preparation and offers comprehensive courses taught by experienced faculty. Participants in the 200-hour and 500-hour level teacher training programs take courses in the following areas:

We practice yoga asana twice daily: Sadhana Hatha Flow in the mornings and Sadhana Vinyasa Flow in the afternoons. Consistent practice helps us internalize the sequences and the essence of the Flows. We supplement our daily practice of Sadhana Hatha Flow and Sadhana Vinyasa Flow with workshops on the postures and the art of teaching each sequence.

We begin our day at sunrise with Pranayama (breathing techniques) and Meditation to still and purify the mind. Pranayama consists of rounds of Kapalabati, ‘shining skull breath’ and Anuloma Viloma, alternate nostril breathing. We introduce practitioners to additional yogic breathing exercises to cleanse the body, mind, and spirit.

Every morning after our Pranayama practice, we sit in Meditation to cultivate a one-pointed focus of the mind. In this one-pointed focus, we create stillness so that the bliss of our true inner selves can eventually shine through. Our primary practices are Anapana, or Meditation on the breath, and Mantra Meditation. We also introduce practitioners to several other methods of Meditation.

We deepen our own practice and inform our teaching when we understand the foundations of how the human body moves and works. This course goes over the mechanics of basic muscle groups, the cardinal planes of motion, and the functions of vital systems in the body.

This course looks in depth at the Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras written nearly 2000 years ago. In the 200-hour level training, we focus on the teaching of the eight limbs of yoga and the attainments (siddhis) that result from consistent practice. At the 500-hour level, we cover the entire text.

Yogic living is more than practicing asana. In this course, we will learn about the non-asana aspects of the eight limb path of yoga, including the fundamentals of a yogic diet and the abiding principles of a yogic lifestyle. Accessible spiritual lessons drawing from many traditions help us to understand these principles and integrate them into our daily lives.

We discuss ways to make yoga teaching part or all of your income source. We look at components of a business plan, ways to market your classes, and also the steps of opening a studio.

SchoolYoga Institute Teacher Training Manual (TTC/ATTC) written by SchoolYoga Institute

Yoga Sutras: The Means to Liberation translated and commented by Dennis Hill

You can find our complete list of recommended books here.